Uncapping device for honeycombs



Jan, 20. 1925.

A. F. HODGSON UNCAPPING DEVICE FOR HOEYCOMBS Filed Dec. 22, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet l im /rlll Invenor Jan. 20. 1925.l

- A. F. HoDGsoN UNCAPPING DEVICE FOR HONEYCOMBS Filed Dec. .22, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 2 /2 I3 l( ,l l If/f/ m /3 t /l -1 s I I', 8 \l"*mnmma|ummmmlHummm@umnnmaunniflnfinimnl|nimmaumimmammunuuum l 43 Y H w'1 7 u 4 'u 3 g ,ohun!mmnml|mmlunlmmnmmulnnnnmmmluulnlunuummumMunmmlmumlnnnmnwmmr L l,Awwwn1unflulmwnummunMmmm!!!nlmmmmumsmmnumnmmmmum m l; /3 "J A la J4 j jw v ,1 u lf@ .faz

D ./3 sljij 7 g- 14 47/`3:12;"| 7 f M: f 4! i dill I l l L22 Y lInven'or 1w f l 1u mma Patented dan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES innata UNCAPPING- DEVCE FOR HONEYGOMBS.

Application filed December 22, 1923.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR F. HoDGsoN, a subject ot the lingot GreatBritain, and a resident of the village ot' Jarvis, inthe county ot'Haldimand, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada.V have inventedcertain new and useful lmproven'ients in Uncapping Devices torl-loneycombs, ot which the tollowing` is the specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in un 'sipping devices iorhoneycombs, and the objects ot the invention are to simplify andexpedite the operation ot' uncapping' honeycombs; to provide for theuncapping of both sides olf' the comb simultaneously; to eliminate theuse ot uncapping knives, both oi the hand and machine types; and toreduce the liability et damaging` the comb during uncapping. @therobjects will appear in the 'following specilication.

lilly invention consists essentially ot an uncappirre` device :torhoneycombs com prisinpI rotatable, abrasive, cap removing means,together with means tor feeding a comb past said rotating means7 wherebythe capping is removed, all as hereinafter more particularly describedand illustrated in the accompanyin4T drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of an uncapping device embodyiupmy invention.

Fia'. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. il is an end elevation thereof, a portion at the top being` shownin section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line il, 4, of Figs. 1 and 3.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5, 5 ot Fig. 1, being' brokenaway intermediately to economize space.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section ot' one end ot the devicetaken on the line 6, 6 oi Fig. 3.

7 is a fragmentary vertical section of one end of the device taken onthe line 7, 7 of Fig. 3.

F 8 is a transverse vertical section illustrating the manner in whichthe honeycomb is supported in the device and ted between rotatablebrushes.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thedifferent views.

My invention comprises a main frame having the end uprights 1, supportedupon a base 2, which in turn is carried by the legs 3.

Serial No, 682,200.

The base 2 has a central opening,` Il, the purpose ot.' which willpresently appear.

Underneath the opening l in the base is placed a suitable removablereceptacle 5.

Connerting` the upper ends of the end uprights 1 is a top trame member6.

7 are two wire brushes carried upon shafts 8.

Thesesha'tts are horizontal and parallel and extend through transverseopenings 9 extending inwardly trom the sides ot the end frame members l.

The inner ends ot these slots are separated by a solid portion 4&3 ofthe trame members.

rlhe shafts are journalled in blocks 10 which are slidably mounted inhorizontal guide slots 11 'termed in the outer faces of the tramemembers 1.

12 are transverse adjusting spindles having right and left hand threadedengagement with the bearing` blocks 10 and are journalled at their endsin brackets 13, which brackets are secured to the edges of the iframemembers 1.

The spindles are secured against axial movement by collars 14C (seeFigs. 3 and 6) secured at one end thereof while the other end is squaredat 15 to receive a suitable adjusting wrench.

The shafts 8 at one end Ot the device carry pulleys 16 which areconnected by a crossed belt 17.

@ne of the shafts 8 extends outwardly beyond its pulley 16 and carriestast and loose pulleys 18 and 19, with which is associated a main drivebelt 4t2.

20 is a carriage extending centrally and longitudinally of the deviceand is slidably mounted in vertical guide slots 2l in the inner 'facesot the end 'trame members 1.

These slots 9.1 eXtend upwardly from a point 22 adjacent to the base 2to a point 23 slightly above the shafts 8 and the ends ot these slotsterm stops tor limiting the travel ot the carriage 20.

24C is a crosshead slidably mounted in vertical gulde slots 9.5 situatedcentrally of the end frame members 1.

The slots 25 extend downwardly to a point 26 situated slightly above thetop 23 oi" the slot 21 and upwardly to a point 27 adjacent to the top otthe end frame inembers l. n

The bottom of the slot 26 forms a stop limiting the downward travel ofthe crosshead while the upper end 2T forms a stop limiting the upwardtravel thereof.

The crosshead 24C carries handles 28 eX- tending beyond the end tramemembers 1.

Thecarriage 2O is iitted with upwardly lextending` vertical bearing`strips 29 which contact with the inner taces ot the end frame members land constitute means tor preventing the carriage from tilting endwise inits guide.

30 are vertical rods extending upwardly from the tops of the bearing'strips 29 and pass freely through small orifices in the crosshead 24.

3l are compression springs mounted upon the rods 30 between the strips29 and the crosshead 24.

32 are tension coil springs having their lower ends secured to the endsof the carriage 2O and their upper ends secured to the frame at the topot the slot 25.

These springs lie within the slots 25 and pass freely through orifices33 in the end trarne members and 34e in the crosshead.

It will thus be seen that they constitute spring means normallymaintaining` kthe carriage at the upper end of its travel in theposition illustrated in full lines in Fig'. l.

are upwardly directed V-bloclrs carried by the upper side ot thecarriage 2() and 3G are downwardly directed V-bloclrs carried by theunder side of the crosshead 24.

37 is the wooden :trame of a honeycomb within Ywhich is contained thecellular portion 39 of the comb.

The top member of the trame 37 extends .outwardly beyond the body ot the'trame The height of the bearing` strips 29 is such that when 0a. combis inserted within the machine so that the bottom thereof rests upon theV-blocl s 85, the projecting` portions 33 of the 'trame rest upon thetops of these bearing strips (see Fig. l).

The bottom portion of the end trame members 1 is ot suliicient width toextend laterally beyond the 'brushes 7.

This width continues upwardly to' a point above the brushes and thetrame members l are then curved inwardly at 4l' (see F S;

atter which they continue upwardly at a reduced width.

il are cover plates which are secured to the sides of the trame membersl and totally encase the lower portion ot the machine to a point abovethe brushes. rlhe purpose ot these will presently appear.

The construction and operation of my invention is as follows:

The brushes 7 will preferably be ot the wire bristle type and will be ofcylindrical form and will constitute opposed. parallel. spaced apart,abrasive, elements. The space between the brushes is indicated at A inFig. at.

Since the pulleys 1G are connected by a crossed belt i7 it will beapparent that when the marin drive belt l2 is connected with the tastpulley 18 that the two shafts 8, and therefore the brushes T carriedthereby. will be rotated in opposite directions.

Consider the parts to he in the position illustrated in full lines inFie'. l with the. carriage 20 in its normal position at the top ot itstravel.

The manner in which the machine operates to uncap the comb is asfollows:

The trame 37 with the capped comb portion 39 is inserted. In thisoperation the lower portion of the frame 3'? engages within theV-bloclts 85 carried by the carriage (see Figs. l and 8) and. theprojecting portions 38 at the top ot the iframe rest upon the tops oithe strips 29. In this normal position, thc springs il maintain they'rosse head 24 raised at a distance above the top ot the comb so as notto interfere with tln` placing o'i the comb in position. This positionis illustrated in Ytull lines in Fig. l.

The crosshead 2l .is now depressed by hand so that the upper Vsbloclrs36, engage the top member of the frame 3T (sec Fig'. F).

It will therefore be noted that` the lower and upper V-bloclrs 35 and 3Gconstitute means tor properly centeringr the comb within the machine,it. being' umlerstmal that these V-'blocks are'located centrally ot thebranches T.

These V-bloclrs also provide a positivo and certain means ot holding thecomb perfectly steady and rigid within the. machine.

To uncap the comb the brushes 7 are rotated by connecting the belt 42with the l'ast pulley 1S. and the carriage :20 with the comb supportedtherein is passed downwardly hetweeu the brushes. This is done manuallyby depressingv the handles 2S carried by the crosshead 24.

During` this passage of the comb between the brushes the peripheries otthe brushes contact respectively with the clippings on either side otthe comb and very ellicientlj` remove these cappings.

In order to provide adjustment laterally l tor the brushes to exactlysuit the thickness ot the comb. the bearingY blocks it) in which theshafts 8 are journalled may be adjusted by means of the threadedspindles l2.

These spindles provide means for adjusting the shafts 8 in parallelismtowards and away from each other.

rllhe manner in which the comb is supported between the carriage 20 andthe erosshead 2st and the manner in which the brushes engage the comb torrniove the cap ping' therefrom will be clear trom Fig. 8.

The position of the carriage 0, handles llo 28 and comb, when at thebottom of their travel after having passed between the brushes, isillustrated in broken lines in F ig. l.

After depressing the carriage and passing the comb between the brushesthe handles 28 are released and the springs 32 immediately draw thecarriage upwardly into its normal position.

When this is reached the springs 3l raise the crosshead further torelease the engagement between the V-blocks 36 and the iframe 37 so asto permit removal of the comb from the device.

During the operation it is essential that the comb be lirmly supportedand that it be positioned exactly centrally between the brushes.

rlhese two objects are both eliectively accomplished by the V-blocks 35and 86.

During the uncapping operation the cappings and material thrown oil bythe brushes iall through the opening d in the base and are caught in thereceptacle rlfhe lower portion ot' the machine is encased by the sheetsil in order to catch all material thrown by centritugal force from therotating brushes 7.

lt is essential that in the uncapping ot combs the comb cells must notbe damaged since after the extraction ot the honey therefrom the waxcellular structure is used over and over again.

Hitherto the uncapping of combs has been done almost entirely bysevering the capping from the comb with a hand operated knife. rlhis hasbeen a slow and tedious operation and has required expert manipulationit the comb was not to be damaged.

A iurther disadvantage in the use of a ltnite is that the pollen storedin some of the cells by the bees is extremely hard and when the knifestrikes this lump of pollen it adheres to the cutting edge and forms anobstruction, which upon further penetration oi the blade mutilates thecomb.

This weakness is present in all uncapping devices en'iploying a sharpcutting edge whether they be manually operated or are in the it'orm of amachine.

lt has been lound that the uncapping by a hand knife is extremelydiiiicult, if the knite is cold, and therefore the blades ot uncappingknives are steam heated. This involves the use ot steam tubes beingconnectcd to the knife, which tubes are a source ot constant trouble andinconvenience.

A further disadvantage of the steam heated blade is that the condensategets into the honey causing the presence of water.

A tui-ther disadvantage of the hand knife is that thev two sides of thecomb must be uncapped separately.

lt has been with a view ot' overcoming these disadvantages present inthe former practice that my invention has been devised and Jtrom the'foregoing it will be evident that l have devised valuable improvementsin uncapping devices which will greatly expedite and simplify thisoperation.

lWith my device both sides of' the comb may be uncapped sin'iultaneouslyand the uncapping can be eliec-ted without any danger oli' damaging thecellular structure ot the comb;

lWhile l have illustrated and describe-d a specific en'ibodiment of myinvention, various modifications may le made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope off the claims andtherefore the exact 'torni shown is to be taken as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense.

For instance while in the drawings the brushes i' have been shown ashorizontal with the comb passingv vertically therebetween, l wish it tobe understood that other relative dispositions oi' the brushes andcarriage are to be considered as falling within my present invention.

For instance cases in which the brushes might be vertically disposedwith the comb travelling horizontally therebetween.

A-.lso various obvious alternative methods may be substituted forraising' the carriage 2O in the crosshead 24.

lVhat l claim as my invention is:

l. in uncapping device for honeycombs comprising rotatable cap removingmeans.

2. An uncapping device iior honeycombs comprising spaced apart, opposed,rotatable cap removing means.

3. in uncapping device for honeycombs comprising spaced apart, opposed,rotatable cap removing means, and means it'or adjust ing saidcap'reinoving means towards and away from each other.

1l. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising spaced apart,parallel, rotatable cap removing means.

5. An uncapping device ior honeycombs comprising opposed, spaced apart,rotatable, abrasive elements, and means for guiding a honeycombtherebetween.

6. An uncapping device tor honeycombs comprising opposed, spaced apartabrasive elements rotatable about parallel axes, me'ans for guiding ahoneycomb therebetween, and means 'for adjusting the abrasive elementsin parallelism towards and away from each other.

7. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising rotatable cap removingmeans, comb supporting me'ans, and means for contacting the former withthe surface of the latter.

8. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising opposed, spaced apart,cylindrical, abrasive elements rotatable about parallel axes, and me'ans'for guiding a honeycomb centrally therebetween.

9. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising amain frame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein, and rotatable about parallel axes,means for supporting a honeycomb vertically, and means ior relativelyguiding the comb centrally between the brushes.

l0. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising a main trame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable about parallelhorizontal ases, means tor supporting a honeycomb Y vertically, andmeans for relatively guiding the comb centrally between vthe brushes.

ll. An uncapping device tor honeycombs comprising a main trame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable about parallel axes,a comb supporting carriage, slidable within the main trame and 'adaptedto support a honeycomb, centrally between the aforesaid brushes, andnieans for guiding the carriage in the main 'trame to feed the combbetween the brushes.

l2. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising a main frame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable about parallel axes,a comb supporting carriage slidable within the main i'rame and adaptedto support a honeycomb centrally between the aforesaid brushes, theplane of the Vcomb being perpendicular to the plane containing the airesof rotation of said opposed brushes, means or adjusting the brushes inparallelism towards and away from each other, and means Jfor guiding thecarriage in the main frame. to feed the comb between the brushes.

13. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising a main frame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable about horizontalaxes, a comb supporting carriage slidable vertically within the mainframe and adapted to vertically support a honeycomb centrally betweenthe aforesaid brushes, and means for sliding the carriage in the maintrame to feed the comb between the brushes.

14. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising a main frame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable about parallelhorizontal axes, a carriage slidable vertically in the main trame,spring means normally maintaining said carriage in its topmost position,comb engaging means carried by the carriage and adapted to support acombvertically and centrally above the brushes, and means tor moving thecarriage and comb downwardly to pass the comb between the brushes.

15. An uncapping device tor honeycombs con'iprising a main trame,opposed, spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable aboutparallel horizontal axes. a lari-inge slidable vertically in the main 'Iran'ie spring means normally maintaining said carriage in its topmostposition, a horizontal crosshead slidable in vertical guides in the maintrame and located \i'ertically above the carriage, upwardly directedcomb engaging V- blocks carried by the. carriage. dmvnwardly directedcomb engaging V-blocks carried by the handle, the V-bloclts on thecrosshead and carriage co-acting to support a comb vertically and toposition said comb centrally between the brushes as the crosshead andcarriage are moved downwardly to pass the comb between the brushes.

16. An uncapping device for honeycombs comprising a main frame, opposed,spaced apart brushes mounted therein and rotatable about parallelhorizontal axes, a carriage slidable vertically in the main trame,spring means normally maintaining said carriage in its vtopmostposition, a horizontal crosshead slidable in vertical guides in the maintrame and located verticallY above the carriage, upwardly directed combengaging V- blocks carried by the carriage, downwardly directed combengaging V-blocks carried by the handle, spring means co-acting betweenthe carriage and crosshead for normally maintaining the upper and lowerV-blocks separated by a distance greater than the height of a comb, theV-blocls on the crosshead and carriage co-acting to support a combtherebetween vertically and to position said comb centrally between thebrushes as the crosshead and carriage are nioved downwardly to pass thecomb between the brushes.

ARTHUR F. HODGSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. HAYwAnn, NoniUN Comas.

